Ray LaMontagne, Trouble
Featured Album
A concentrated, achingly understated take on folk-soul
Ray Lamontagne did nothing less than flip the entire script of soul on his first CD. While most of that genre's singers shout to the sky, he spends more time whispering into his chest. On "Trouble," the New Hampshire-based artist broods through the songs, using his potential for rip-roaring screams sparingly, preferring to build anticipation so he doesn't blow all the tension in a yelp.
That approach made Lamontagne stand out from the start. While his nearly autistic style could have seemed stand-offish or self-involved, instead it comes across as generous and intimate. When he sings, you feel as if his psyche is telegraphing its need directly to yours.
It's a place few singers can get to. Which explains why so many critics compared him to artists like Van Morrison, Neil Young, and David Gray — all stars who seem lost in their own worlds.
The material Lamontagne writes intensifies that sense. It's a concentrated, understated take on folk-soul, like Bill Withers with every affect withered.
That's ultimately what makes "Trouble" so startling, and so pure. Lamontagne works hard to erase all the histrionics and artifice from his music. In the end, he doesn't seem to be performing at all, but instead simply making his truth achingly plain.
